Celtic defender Liam Scales is slowly becoming an asset for both the club and the country.
The 26-year-old has cemented his place in Brendan Rodgers’ first-team this season and has made seven starts for the Bhoys in the Scottish Premiership.
The Hoops defender started for the Republic of Ireland against Finland and played the entire game.
Despite going a goal down in the first half, Ireland came back strongly in the second half and goals from Scales and Robbie Brady earned a brilliant victory at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Thursday night.
The Celtic defender restored parity in the 57th minute when he scored from a header from Brady’s delivery. Brady then scored the winning goal in the 88th minute.
How the national media reacted to Celtic star Liam Scales’ display
With this victory, the Republic of Ireland find themselves in the third position with three points. Scales scored his first international goal, and he has been heavily praised by the national media for his fantastic performance.
The Irish Daily Mail gave him an 8/10 rating, adding that he was “excellent” on the night.
They wrote: “Excellent. Caught in possession early on but settled to become one of Ireland’s best players, franked by his first international goal.”
The Irish Mirror was also full of praise for the defender, and they gave him a 7/10 rating.
They wrote: “Enjoyed plenty of possession and pulled Ireland level with a headed goal.”
It was a much-needed victory for the Irish, and the Celtic defender has played a big role in it. He won as many as ten duels on the night to round off a memorable performance.
Brendan Rodgers will be very pleased
Brady says that Scales was unbelievable for Ireland in this match, and rightly so. He has been one of the first names in the team sheet for Celtic, and has done well for the Hoops in the Champions League as well.
Rodgers will be extremely pleased with this performance, and he will hope that the defender will continue to impress for the club, as they have tough fixtures ahead after the break.
His situation wasn’t like that only a few years ago, but all his hard work is now paying dividends.
